Alan Russell
Bio
When you read my words they may not be perfect but I hope they:
1. Engage you
2. Entertain you
3. At least make you smile (Omar's Diaries) or
4. Think about this crazy world we live in and
5. Never accept anything at face value
Stories (250)
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A masterpiece of a car book to enjoy
While staying at the DoubleTree Hilton at Milton Common near Oxford I found this glamorous looking book in the library. It was not a difficult choice to make between Macauley's History of England Volume 1 or this glamorous tome. How could any car lover not be tempted by that front cover picture of an Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato? I was, and enjoyed sitting in a quiet lounge at the hotel with a glass of malt doing just that.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in Wheel
Bracklesham Bay in Sussex
Bracklesham Bay has not prostituted itself to the plasticised consumerism of larger seaside resorts. That is in the form of of buckets, spades and arm bands. The beach might be something to do with this consumerist understatement. It is one steep bank of grey shingle and only when the tide is out is there any sand which is not golden but a dark brown.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in Journal
Omar's Diary to 31st January 24
Christmas and New Year are well behind us as well as the month of January. My most memorable present last year came from one of my Servants' friends. Bearing in mind my sophistication, knowledge and ability to turn a good phrase every so often, I think it was chosen extremely well. I will let you decide if it is suitable or not. It has pride of place above my dining area here at Omar Towers.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in Journal
A vintage motor magazine from 1968
I saw this magazine in a charity (thrift shop) this weekend and was immediately drawn to it because of the cover. For those of you not familiar with the car shown it is a Ford GT40. Although I do not own one it is my favourite endurance racing car whose development was started in the very early 1960's. I also had the chance of a lifetime and drove one around the Goodwood Circuit for three laps.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in Wheel
The Michael Parkinson Collection
Regardless of how hard a giver tries to it is next to impossible to disguise the gift of a CD as anything else but. The recipient knows it is a CD once they are holding it. The true Christmas surprise only comes with the unwrapping. This happened to me twice over Christmas 2023 when my wife gave me two presents which were definitely CD’s that both had a connection to many memories and to music I enjoy.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in Journal
Omar's Diary to 20th December 2023
Since my last diary, 26th November 2023 passim, the rhythm of life here at Omar Towers has been somewhat distracted. Most recently Man Servant has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. This came as quite a shock to everyone here and to family and friends as this news spread. Needless to say, there have been some very down days but those downs have been ameliorated as he has undergone various tests and scans. All of these so far have confirmed it has not spread from where it should be and will be manageable with regular check-ups, no play on words intended, and medications. He was at the hospital yesterday for a procedure to obtain some samples and once they have been cultured for a few weeks we will know if it is an aggressive form of cancer or not. Hopefully that is the last procedure he will have the indignity of undergoing for quite a while.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in Journal
Stirling Moss's Book of Motor Sport
I came across this book in our local book bank and couldn't resist bringing it home. My plan was to have a look through it and then return it to whence it came. That was nearly a year ago. Every time I think "It must go back" I flick through its aged pages and find another reason, or as my wife would say 'an excuse', to keep it for just a bit longer.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in Wheel
Let's Give Prostate Cancer the Two Fingers it Deserves
INTRODUCTION The following words in this article and any subsequent articles covering this subject are only a diary of my experiences with prostate cancer. It is a way of being open and honest about what is happening to me in an effort to prevent it happening to anyone else.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in Men
Omar's Diary to 26th November 2023
What with the onset of the winter Man Servant and I have had plenty of time at the weekends to catch up with the Sunday newspapers. Sadly, I cannot claim that they are what used to be called “broadsheets” such as The Sunday Times and The Observer used to be. They have all converted to tabloid. Such a downgrade of quality.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in Journal
22nd November 1963
For those of us of a certain age events in Dallas sixty years ago today are marked indelibly on our memories. Time may have embellished or diminished those memories but those of us who experienced that moment in history can all remember where we were, who we were with and what we were doing. Not for at least another generation would there be such a scarring of both individual and collective memories as when the Twin Towers and The Pentagon were attacked on 11th September 2001.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in Journal
Omar's Diary to 31st October 2023
The Servants returned from a brief sojourn to somewhere called Abingdon on the River Thames in Oxfordshire. It was where William the Conqueror stayed for an Easter break in 1084 away from building castles, suppressing the locals and inextricably linking these islands to Europe, again.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in Journal
